Sleepless Nights
by thealmostwriter
Summary: What happened after they defeated Dingo? Was everything ok or were there some unexpected surprises during the night? What's happened with Freddie's dad? Will Sam do anything about it? All good questions read to find the answers! Careful, rated T for mentions of abuse. PLEASE NOTE! It's still Emily.Janey writing this I just changed my username. It's not another author!


_**A/N: Hey guys! This is my first story that I'm actually happy enough with to upload. So yeah…just a one-shot of what could have happened after they got back from bringing down Dingo. Sorry if it's a little OOC I just always wonder why Freddie never talks about his dad. Anyway enough with my pointless rambling and on with the story! **_

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own iCarly or any of its characters**

**Sleepless Nights**

They got back to the motel at around 11pm tiered and not as overly excited at the fact they had just taken down the dingo channel with Charles frozen head as they probably should have been. All had the same thought 'thank god I can go to sleep now!', unfortunately for two of the group Carly was very unsettled and overall just completely freaked about the entire experience, so spencer (being the _adult_) thought it best that she slept with him that night. Sam and Freddie looked at each other in complete and utter horror. They were going to have to go to sleep TOGETHER in the other double bed. Immediately they began to protest but were silenced with one rarely seen glare from spencer that said 'nothing you can do or say will change things so just drop it and live with it!'

Carly went into the bathroom to change followed by Sam then Freddie then finally Spencer. The two Shays then jumped into their bed and slept almost immediately leaving Sam and Freddie in an unbelievably awkward silence. After what seemed like an eternity Sam cleared her throat and nervously said 'so…shall we...um…go to bed now too?' Freddie replied 'umm… Yeah sure'. The two made sure to stay as far away as possible from the other occupant of the bed knowing that physical contact was the last thing they needed in the current situation. Both shut their eyes and slowly but surely drifted off to sleep, each clinging to the opposite sides of their bed.

Later on that night Sam woke up with a start. The dream she had just experienced was not at all pleasant and she was grateful it was over. She pictured it again in her head, her own father looking down yelling at her. Screaming how disappointed he was in her. How it was all her fault he left and her mother became so unhappy. Sam had had this dream one to many times to know that if she just blocked it out and didn't let it get to her then she would be fine. She turned and saw a quite frankly adorable Freddie sleeping next to her (even she couldn't deny how cute he looked when he slept) and couldn't help but feel that sleeping next to him, it just seemed right. Wrong and disturbing, but so crazily wonderful and just…nice at the same time.

Suddenly she noticed Freddie twitch violently, the way you would when shaking someone off of your shoulder. His face screwed together in disgust and fear. He then began to writhe and seize screaming and yelling at the top of his lungs 'NO DAD DON'T! STOP! PLEASE STOP!' Even someone like Sam could tell at that point Freddie was terrified of what he was experiencing in his mind. The twisted warped dream his subconscious had created for him was horrifying in every way possible. Sam immediately sprang into action shaking the boy and pleading 'WAKE UP FREDDIE…PLEASE!' she was truly thankful that both the Shay children were extremely deep sleepers as all the commotion would have certainly caused more harm than good. Freddie woke with a start panting and sweating with fear, a look of absolute terror on his face. "What happened!? Where is he!?" Sam moved right next to him and cuddled close knowing the emotional wreck he was going to be in the coming moments. 'Sssshhhhhhh….it's ok Freddie I got you nobody can hurt you now' all the while rubbing circles on his back with one hand the other clutching his side in an embrace. Once he calmed down a little she said in a whisper "You scared the hell outta me there, want to talk about it?" "You sure?" he asked she then confirmed with a nod. "Here goes then…" he started "Lately I've had these dreams…and well let me tell you one thing they are not nice." "What are they about?" she continued to press calmly and kindly "It's… kind of a long story" he hesitated "Well we've got all night if you need it nub" she said trying but failing to lighten the mood for what she was sure was going to end in tears for both of them.

"Ok…well you know how I told everyone that my dad left me and my mom because he just, didn't want to be with us anymore, you know like any other typical divorce really" "Yeah" "Well that's not exactly true. From as long as I can remember my dad was a drunk and a user so pretty much every other night he would come home absolutely stoned and high. He used all our money on booze and drugs leaving us penny less and then making my mom have to work overtime to get enough to pay for school, food, clothes and other basic necessities." Sam looked at him, the hurt already appearing in his eyes and by the sounds of it he wasn't done yet. "Anyway when my mom started to work late I finally realised what all the marks were on her. I had seen them before but whenever I tried to talk about them she would either brush them off as an accident, or simply change the subject. They were bruises and cuts that had been caused by none other than my demented father. Stupid me didn't put two and two together until it was too late though, and one night when he found his old victim gone the anger came out on me."

Freddie's voice started to crack at the last sentence so Sam stopped rubbing circles and just squeezed his hand and shuffled impossibly closer so he knew she was there. Silent tears started pouring down his face as she saw all those mortifying memories flash in front of his eyes. Somehow he managed to continue not letting his emotions get the better of him. "Five years I put up with it Sam FIVE YEARS! Thousands of cuts and bruises, hundreds of broken bones and countless hospital trips with lame excuses until one of my teachers finally noticed the hand prints on my face that he left one night after he slapped me. The police arrested him, then me and mom moved here. The thing is he blames me for this mess. NOT himself…ME! And on top of that his sentence is up in a few weeks." with the last words he could muster Freddie simply said "He's going to come back for me Sam. I know it." before bursting into a fit of tears and loud sobs right there on her shoulder.

While they were sitting there buried into one another she understood him completely. Not having had a very good dad herself. But her heart was breaking for the boy who (despite what anyone might think) had become her close friend over the past few years. And now, thanks to the no doubt excruciating pain and agony that he must have been put through at such a young age here he was, broken, right here on her shoulder. No wonder he was so broken right now. It was hardly surprising with what he had to deal with. Of all the people on the Earth she would have never have guessed that the one and only Freddie Benson was victim to child abuse. She found herself lost for words. All she could think to do was whisper in his ear "Don't worry…I'll protect you" the sobs then began to slow and calm and before she knew it Freddie had cried himself to sleep. Sam didn't have the heart to move him off of her so laid them both down and continued to cuddle together.

This was how Carly and spencer found them the next morning. They just blew it off as a stupid joke that Gibby must have set up. Later on the car ride home Sam felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

Freddie: Thanks for last night and for not saying anything to Carly and spencer. It means a lot.

She texted back Sam: It's ok I had about the same reaction when my dad left. I've learnt to deal with it now though.

Freddie: Good I don't want to have that dream EVER again. You're the only person that knows by the way.

Sam: Really? Thought you would have told Carls or Spence first.

Freddie: Well you know what they're like. Can't keep a secret if their lives depend on it.

Sam: Get your point. By the way I want calling if that happens again, right?

Freddie: Ok but why?

Sam: Well when I was like that all I wanted was for somebody to face it with me and I have a gut feeling that you're not gonna tell your mom about it.

Freddie: Yeah you're probably right. But are you sure you want to help?

Sam: Like it or not Benson we're in this together now

Freddie: Thanks Sam ;)

Sam: No problem Freddo :p

_**A/N: So what do you think? Please review and let me know if I should continue writing, although don't make it too harsh it's my first time doing something like this. Also please PM me if you have any ideas on what I could write about! **_

_**-Emily x**_


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